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Saturday, March 23, 2013

Hey LTE'ers! I'm very excited to announce the launch of the LTE Book Club! In response to my last post, several of you said you'd be interested in a virtual book club. No, we're not going to meet at anyone's house to discuss the book; but, I would like to have some online chats...but more on that in a minute.

Let's get right to the good stuff! The first book for the LTE Book Club starting April 1, 2013, will be A Life Without Limits, by Chrissie Wellington.

So why did I pick this for the first book? Well, first of all, if you don't know who Chrissie Wellington is, she's a 4-time Ironman World Champion and has never lost an Ironman race. But that's not why I love her. I love her because if ever there was a "regular Jane," she's it. Like many triathletes (pro and amateur) she came from humble beginnings and just worked her ass off. She's relatable, and we all need role models to whom we can relate.

Me with Chrissie Wellington at her book signing last year...

Second, she's struggled all her life with body image issues, including bulimia. For many women (and some men) reading her story about how she's learned to deal with those issues can be very powerful.

Finally, she teaches us that life is about more that just one thing. Before she became a professional triathlete, she was working for the British government in environmental issues/international development (something to which I can definitely relate). Through her travels and her work, she fed her passion for international development and continues to pursue that passion through charitable work today. Triathlons gave her a platform to raise awareness about some of these issues. Triathlons also gave her a doorway into a healthy lifestyle where she takes care of her body and appreciates what it can do for her. And then, after she accomplished all that she wanted, she stepped away from triathlons after her last championship in 2011 to go back to pursuing some of her other passions. She teaches us that life has many chapters, each one building on the next. It's a good reminder about how you can't get too hung up on any single one of them.

So I've picked this for the first book because it may inspire the regular Jane's and Joe's out there to accomplish more than they can imagine; it may teach women to overcome their body image issues; and it may help us all realize that life is about being well-balanced.

One little FYI: the foreward in the book is by Lance Armstrong, which obviously Chrissie had him write before he confessed about his years of doping. In recent public statements, Chrissie understandably has been very outraged about Lance's actions and has even said that she regrets having him write the foreward. So, whatever your feelings are about Lance, don't let the foreward deter you from her book.

The hard copy of the book is 274 pages and I'm sure you can download it for Kindle, iPad, etc. There are 30 days in April, so you'd only need to read nine - 9 - pages a day in the hard copy to finish it!! Now anyone can do that!

I'd love for people to post their thoughts on the book as you're reading; however, I don't want anyone to ruin the book for someone who may not be as far along. So try to (a) keep up with the reading and (b) remember that if you're reading pretty quickly, you want to be careful not to spoil the book for anyone else.

So please post your favorite quotes; inspirations, etc. as you're reading so we can generate a dialogue. You can also post questions for other LTE readers, like "What do you think about Chrissie's first coach, Brett Sutton?"

Monday, March 11, 2013

I've been pretty MIA from the blog world lately, but hopefully soon I'll get on a more regular schedule. So in an effort to help me do that and also watch less t.v., broaden my horizons, be inspired, and read more books, I've been thinking of starting an LTE Book Club...

Now, I know I'm no Oprah and I may get exactly less than 2 people who'd be interested. The idea is not to put a burden on anyone to read a certain number of pages or even to have any discussions if you don't want; rather, the idea is to get others out there to read some great stories from real life Joes and Janes who've used endurance sports as a way to better their lives. And actually, even if other folks aren't interested, I'm going to do this on my own and post my "book reviews" and reactions as I'm going along...It'll be a good motivational tool for me!

When I started thinking about it, there are a fair amount of endurance-related books out there: The Longest Race; The Long Run; A Life Without Limits; Unbroken. All of which I've either read or am currently reading. So there would be more than enough to fill up the rest of the year.

This is definitely going to be on the list....

I'm thinking one book a month starting April 1, 2013. I'll post what book I'm reading in advance of the first of the month, and will occasionally post my thoughts, favorites quotes and lessons, etc., from the book. If you want to join me to share your thoughts, reactions, etc., that'd be great! I'd love to hear how some of these books could impact your lives. And of course, there's no obligation to read a particular book...It's a totally voluntary and virtual book club thanks to this crazy little thing called the internet.

If you're interested, leave me a comment....I'll let you know in a couple weeks what the first book will be.